Romaine Washington

Poet

Rancho Cucamonga, CA
California US
Email: 
[email protected]
Website: 
www.romainewashington.com

Author's Bio

Romaine Washington (she/her) is a graduate fellow of The Watering Hole Retreat in South Carolina and a fellow of the Inland Area Writing Project at the University of California, Riverside. She has presented her poetry on NPR, WeHo Reads, and Beyond Baroque, as well as countless other venues. Washington served as a San Bernardino County Coordinator for Poetry Out Loud and as a state and local judge (2022-2026).  She holds a master's degree in Education with a cleared California teaching credential in French and English. For 22 years, Washington taught Language Arts in accredited secondary schools, including Advanced Placement (AP) Literature and AP Language and Composition; she also developed a Film as Literary Analysis curriculum that her district adopted. Beyond her teaching career, she led evening writing workshops for Inlandia Institute for over seven years. She was an active member of Blacklandia (2020-2026), where she played an instrumental role in panel talks and presentations. To find out more, visit her website at www.romainewashington.com.

Publications & Prizes

Anthologies:
Cholla Needles 102 (Cholla Needles Press, 2025)
,
Cholla Needles 105 (Cholla Needles Press, 2025)
,
Cholla Needles 86 (Cholla Needles Press, 2024)
,
Cholla Needles 88 (Cholla Needles Press, 2024)
,
Boundless 2022: The Rio Grande Valley Intl. Poetry Festival Anthology (FlowerSong Press, 2022)
,
Cholla Needles 59 (Cholla Needles Press, 2021)
,
Gathering: A Women Who Submit Anthology (Jamii Publishing, 2021)
,
Cholla Needles 39 (Cholla Needles Press, 2020)
,
Pandemic Summer: (Inlandia Institute, 2020)
,
San Bernardino Singing (Inlandia Institute, 2020)
,
Accolades: A Women Who Submit Anthology (Jamii Publishing, 2019)
,
Cholla Needles 32 (Cholla Needles Press, 2019)
,
Cholla Needles 36 (Cholla Needles Press, 2019)
,
Writing from Inldandia 2018 (Inlandia Institute, 2019)
,
Writing from Inlandia (Inlandia Institute, 2017)
,
Defining Moments Vol IX (Plymouth Writers Group, 2004)
,
In the Company of Women (PoetWorks Press, 2001)
,
The Verdict Is In (Manic D Press, 1992)
,
Sheila-Na-Gig (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 1991)
Books:
88 Unashamed Black Mental Health Stories, Editor (Inlandia Institute, 2026)
,
These Black Bodies Are... A Blacklandia Anthology, Editor (Inlandia Institute, 2023)
,
Purgatory Has an Address (Bamboo Dart Press, 2021)
,
Sirens in Her Belly (Jamii Publishing, 2015)
Journals:
Altadena Poetry Review
,
Buckle &
,
California English
,
Hip Mama
,
Lullwater Review
,
New Directions
,
The Coachella Review
Prizes won: 

No prizes won yet, but Washington’s poetry has been publisher-nominated for Best of the Net, and she is a twice-publisher-nominated Pushcart Prize poet. 

Watch

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Audre Lorde, Jericho Brown, Justin C. Key, Natasha Trethewey, S. Pearl Sharp, Cynthia Manick, Clint Smith, Naomi Shihab Nye, Nikki Grimes, Nikki Giovanni, Nikia Chaney, Nathalie Graham, Beverly Head, Tracy K. Smith, Lynne Thompson, Patricia Smith, F. Douglas Brown, Carolyn M. Rodgers, Lucille Clifton, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Aime Cesare, Ada Limón, Toni Morrison, Jesmyn Ward, Ta-Nehesi Coates, Edwidge Danticat, Jamaica Kincaid, Octavia Butler, N.K. Jemisin, Barbara Kingsolver, James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, Tennessee Williams, Milan Kundera... There are many more I could mention, and the list continues to grow.

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
African American
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
San Bernardino, CA
California
Raised in: 
San Bernardino, CA
California
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Oct 22, 2026